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Crafting Purpose-focused Food & Lifestyle Brands

Content Marketing Seattle Group, LinkedIn

I had a funny sensation when re-reading my first blog post that referenced Content Marketing. Published on December 22, 2008, the post included a link to Junta42’s year end predictions. I was lucky enough to be included, and here’s an excerpt of what I predicted for 2009:

In 2009, there will be continued enthusiasm for online user-generated Content and Social Media. However, there will be increased recognition that UGC/Social Media isn’t a fit for every communicator’s needs or goals, leading to an increased awareness of, and demand for, professionally produced content in online corporate communications.

In particular, 2009 will herald the widespread emergence of marketing and public awareness communications content that sits at the nexus of corporate communications and journalism. As more and more non-media organizations begin to think and act like publishers there will be increased emphasis in quality and professionalism in content creation.

Well, as it turns out, I think that the year 2011 will end up being the  breakout year for Content Marketing awareness, in the States as a whole, and in Seattle in particular.

It really started, I think, when eMarketer CEO Geoff Ramsey stated in a blog post that in 2011, Content Marketing was the most important trend.

Coincidentally, we’d already been planning our own Content Marketing Retreat for January 13 and 14th, bringing such content luminaries as Joe Pulizzi, Andrew Davis, Hanson Hosein, T. A. McCann, Bill Flitter, Matt Heinz and more to the Langley Center for New Media to pontificate on this exciting, and emerging, area of marketing strategy and tactics. My blog post, title “Tell me, I forget. Show Me, I remember. Involve me, I understand” summarizes my key takeaways from that great event.

As a follow up, I’ve created the Content Marketing Seattle group on LinkedIn. I encourage you to join, if you’re interested in helping to build a community in the Seattle area around this topic.

Between the technology companies, the game companies, the institutes of higher learning, the internationally recognized brands, the VC community, the social media groups, etc., there’s little reason why Seattle shouldn’t become a major center for content-driven marketing communications. Or as my friend Hanson Hosein would say, the “center of story” …

And if you do join the group, please consider going to the Content Marketing World event in Cleveland, OH, on September 6 thru 8. It’d be fun to have our Seattle group represented there!